Media Releases

NMJC Collects Food for the Needy

12/7/2007 6:47:35 p.m. - Hobbs, NM. What do you get when you cross a generous campus with a genuine need? You get outstanding results.

On Thursday, December 6, approximately 20 people from New Mexico Junior College delivered a record number of canned goods that had been donated by faculty and staff from across campus for this year's Stuff-a-Truck Food Drive, sponsored by KZOR / KIXN / KPZA Radio in conjunction with Thriftway grocery store. Almost 4500 cans of food and drinks were delivered to the designated truck located in the Broadmoor Shopping Center parking lot.

According to Paul Starr, general manager for the stations, NMJC's generous contribution really made a difference. "This puts the food drive way ahead of where we were last year. I'm just amazed that NMJC has done this much. This is incredible. When we saw the NMJC van pulling up with a trailer behind it, followed by that big, colorful NMJC bus full of people to help us load the food into the truck, we couldn't believe it. This is just amazing."

NMJC professor of accounting Robert Guthrie, who spearheads the annual effort at the college, said that more than 3,115 cans of food were collected in 2006, but that the majority were distributed to several agencies throughout Lea County during the Thanksgiving holiday, with the Stuff-a-Truck Food Drive receiving only 1,100 cans. This year, due in part to timing, the decision was made to donate only to the Stuff-a-Truck drive, thereby making a greater impact.

For Guthrie, the best part was the role that NMJC students voluntarily played. "Thanks to representatives from our various student groups, including the baseball team, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Campus Ambassadors, and Phi Beta Lambda, the food drive was a true campus effort. These kids were glad to help load and unload canned goods, talk to the various radio stations, and simply give up their time to help the less fortunate. I couldn't be more proud of them."

But Guthrie wasn't alone in his efforts to help during the three-day food drive. Others college personnel, such as Jennifer Jordon, Executive Director of the NMJC Foundation, who showed up early Friday morning to help with the drive, was put to work shopping for food with the cash donations that people dropped off. By noon, she had bought and transported approximately $2,700 worth of non-perishable food goods from nearby Thriftway to the Stuff-a-Truck vehicle. "It was great to see so many people willing to help the less fortunate citizens of our community. This has definitely been rewarding."

One NMJC student, Sandy Munoz, may have said it best. "I've never done anything like this before, but it really does feel good." And that kind of giving is certainly what Christmas -- and life -- is all about.